The city of El Paso is pursuing a multi-million-dollar grant from Meta.
During its meeting Tuesday, Sept. 29, the El Paso City Council unanimously approved a plan to apply for a $4 million grant from Meta to implement parts of its Climate Action Plan and the Safe Routes to School Plan.
The grant requires no matching funds from the city and must be implemented within one year. Funds will be awarded in early 2027 and the city can reapply each year.
If awarded, the city plans to use $2 million for the installation of 235 solar lights across the city — approximately 30 in each district — at city parks, trails, pedestrian corridors, community facilities and other locations where improved visibility supports public safety.
The plan also calls for using
$1 million to upgrade irrigation at high-water-use parks using centralized/smart controls, weather- or soil-responsive controllers, flow monitoring, pressure management and related efficiency improvements, providing 15% savings on water conservation and operational costs.
Following is a list of the parks and community centers tentatively slated for upgrades:
- West Side Sports Complex
- Eastside Sports Complex
- Joey Barraza and Vino Memorial Park
- Blackie Chester Park
- Veterans Park
- Capistrano Park
- Marty Robbins Park
- Eastwood Park
- Modesto Gomez Park
- The Beast Urban Park.
City Rep. Cynthia Trejo raised concerns that the list did not equitably represent each of El Paso's eight City Council districts.
Plans for the grant funding also include using the remaining $1 million to bolster the city's Safe Routes to School Plan by adding priority infrastructure such as sidewalks, crosswalks, intersection/visibility improvements, bicycle facilities and traffic-calming measures near schools.
Following is a list of the El Paso Independent School District schools tentatively slated for upgrades:
- El Paso High School
- Magoffin Middle
- Sunrise Mountain Elementary
- Travis Elementary
- Chapin High School
- Austin High School
- Canyon Hills Middle School
- Mesita Elementary School
- Logan Elementary School
City Rep. Lily Limon noted that all of the schools on the list are located within the El Paso Independent School District and insisted that Ysleta Independent School District campuses should also be included in plans for the potential funding.
Adam Powell covers government and politics for the El Paso Times and can be reached via email at apowell@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso City Council seeks Meta grant to fund safety projects
